Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson will be laid to rest today. The 90-year-old died last week from flu complications. Saints Administrative Director, Jay Romig says Benson’s widow, Gayle, has been meeting and greeting well-wishers who have come to the public viewing of her late husband. Romig says she is holding up well…
35 future State Police cadets will graduate as part of the 97th Louisiana State Police Cadet class today. Sgt. Jared Sandifer says the class was one of the smaller ones in recent memory. They started with 49, but it’s still a very good success rate with 71 percent of the class graduating…
Sandifer says after their graduation, there will still be much to learn from experienced troopers and the new officers will get hands on training from some of the best…
Ville Platte Senator Eric LaFleur has filed a bill that would allow 19 and 20- year- olds to purchase alcohol by themselves, if they pass a drinking responsibility class and have their parents’ consent. LaFleur says binge drinking by young adults is a dangerous trend that’s made worse by laws that try, and often fail to bar young people from getting their hands on booze.
The drinking age in most western countries is 18 to 19, and the Ville Platte Democrat says you don’t hear nearly as many stories about binge drinking sessions from those countries as you do from the U.S.
LaFleur says current law allows underage adults to consume alcohol, if they’re with a legal guardian. He says his bill is just an obvious extension of that same idea.
The Senator says his bill would be a good first step to changing a drinking culture that can destroy young people’s lives. It could receive a hearing next week.